The Private Side
by Mizraven17
Summary: Takes place just before 3x20. After receiving a phone call from her mother, Charlotte heads back to Alabama. Whilst there she makes a discovery that will change her life. The question is, what's she gonna do about Cooper?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: The first couple of chapters take place in a time period of about a week. This is my first Private Practice fic, so please be nice! Constructive criticism is appreciated. Also I'm not a doctor, so please forgive any medical errors that might be in this. I'm also not a researcher, but I've tried my best!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters belong to their owners, I've just borrowed them! Some lines are borrowed from episodes. You'll know the ones.

Chapter One - Sweet Home Alabama

Charlotte King picked up her bag and walked towards the elevator. Today had been beyond long. Cooper still wouldn't talk to her and Sheldon was slowly running out of good advice, or so Charlotte thought. Maybe it _was_ time to call it quits. After all, there was only so much verbal abuse a woman could take, especially from the man she's in love with.

_You're just a sex toy I found on the internet_

Charlotte shuddered, that one sentence kept replaying itself in her head and had been for weeks now. It was the worst thing she had ever been called and she'd been called quite a lot in her time.

When Charlotte arrived back at Violets, she saw the light blinking on the answering machine. After kicking off her shoes she walked over and pressed play then proceeded to make herself a drink.

Message one:

"_Charlotte, it's your mother. I've tried calling your cell but I kept getting an error message. I'm calling about Duke. He's not been too well recently so we took him to the local doctor, who gave him some pills, it's not good Charlotte. We need you here. Lacey's refusing to let any doctor near him now, so please, we need you to come home. Call me when you get this, love you baby doll."_

Message two:

"_Hi Charlotte, Just wanted to let you know that I'll be back in a couple of days. Few things I have left to sort out, then I'll be back. Hope you've been looking after my plants! See ya then!"_

End of messages.

Charlotte rushed upstairs, grabbing the phone as she went. She pulled her suitcase out and started packing, whilst also phoning information to get an airline number. After booking the first available flight, she then phoned Addison.

"Montgomery, I need a favour"

xxx

It wasn't until after her flight took off, that Charlotte realized she never called her mother back. Her mind was all over the place, constantly wondering what could be wrong with Duke. Charlotte was also wondering if she should have told Cooper she was leaving, but then as they weren't together anymore, it wasn't really his business.

After landing in Mobile Regional Airport, Alabama, Charlotte collected her bags then joined the line at Enterprise car rental. Once she'd got the keys, found and loaded up the car, Charlotte was then driving up the interstate towards Monroeville. After being awake for nearly 18 hours Charlotte was physically and emotionally exhausted. She could not get home quick enough.

After driving for nearly 5 hours, she eventually pulled up outside her childhood home. Charlotte was ready for sleeping for a week. She pulled her luggage out of the trunk then locked up the car.

She walked up the fronts steps and pushed open the front door.

"Momma, I'm here!" Her voice echoed off the walls and caused her to shiver. She loved this house, but after Big Daddy had passed on, something changed. The house seemed colder and emptier than it used to. She walked further in and dropped her bags by the staircase. "Momma, you up there?"

She climbed the stairs and went over to her mother's room. After knocking and getting no response, Charlotte pushed the door open and peered in. The curtains were still drawn but the bed was made. When Charlotte was little, she'd played many hide and seek games in this room with Landry. The thing with being so small was that she could always slide under the bed. And every time they played Landry would wander around the house calling her name but never finding her. Charlotte always came out before he could find her so that he would never know her hiding spot. At this moment Charlotte wished she was still small enough to hide under there.

She pulled the covers back and laid on the bed. It wasn't long before she felt her eyes begin to close.

xxx

Charlotte woke with a start. Someone was watching her, she was sure of it. After sitting up and looking around, she saw Landry standing by the window.

"Hey Ladybug, didn't mean to wake ya."

"That's ok; I should get up now anyway. Where's Momma?" Charlotte asked.

"She's with Duke, Lacey and the girls down at Monroe County. I'm glad you're here Char." She could tell from the tone of Landry's voice that whatever was going on was real bad.

"Of course I'm here. So, lay it on me. Don't sugar it, gimme it straight." She stood up and faced Landry.

"You might wanna sit back down for this"

xxx

Charlotte drove into the parking lot of Monroe County Hospital and parked up. She made her way into the main entrance and smiled at the quietness of it. After living in LA for nearly 5 years, this made a nice change. She followed the directions Landry had given her and made her way to room 239.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside the room. Her mother and sister –in-law were sitting on opposite sides of the bed each holding one of Dukes hands, whilst her nieces were quietly playing in the corner.

"Hey Momma, Lacey" Charlotte greeted after closing the door behind her. "How's he doing?"

At the sound of her voice Lacey jumped up and ran over to Charlotte.

"I'm so glad you're here" Charlotte could feel her tears leaking through her shirt.

"Hey now, It's gonna be ok, I'm gonna fix this, you hear?" Once Lacey nodded against her shoulder she let go and turned towards her mother.

"Landry filled me all in on what happened. I've spoken to the doctor about him getting me Duke's file and then I'm gonna get the best damn surgeon to fly their ass here and sort this. I promise momma, I'ma do everything I can."

Caroline King looked at her daughter and smiled. It was about damn time.

xxx

Charlotte sat for hours reading her brothers file. None of it made sense. Duke was prescribed medication for anxiety. He apparently took the medication as advised and then 3 days later found him in a coma.

Charlotte pulled out the med fact sheet and read all possible side effects. She looked over his CT scans, lab results and ultrasounds. Nothing.

Charlotte knew of only one person who could help with matters of the brain. She rooted through her purse until she found her cell. After switching it on she was swamped with text messages.

_I just got ur note. Hope all is well, call when u get chance, V_

_I found a few more of ur things; will drop them at Vi's after work._

_Hi. All things at hosp are sorted. Don't worry. Addison_

_Vi says ur out of town, where did u go?_

_Oh real mature not texting back, don't know why I bother_

After reading and then erasing them all, she phoned Violet and explained what was going on. Just before she hung up she asked Violet not to tell Cooper about anything that was happening. After securing a promise she then phoned Addison.

"I need you to send Amelia Sheppard to Alabama"

TBC

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two – Live and Let Live

Cooper knew something was wrong.

Violet had been cagey earlier when he'd dropped off the rest of Charlotte's stuff. He'd tried asking where Charlotte was but all she'd said was that she was out of town.

At the practice the following day, Addison had spent most of the morning on the phone referring on her patients. Violet was continually checking her cell, and Sheldon was always hovering near her. As he was walking towards the break room, he heard Violets phone ringing. He got as close as he could to the open doorway without being seen and listened in on her conversation.

"_Hi, is everything ok?"_

"_Oh my god Charlotte, How did it happen?"_

"_Ok and what are they doing?"_

"_What do you mean nothing?"_

"_Right, ok, that makes more sense. How are you holding up?"_

"_Yeah she's still in town. Call Addison, I'm sure she'll talk to her for you."_

"_Ok Charlotte, I promise. If you need anything else..."_

"_Bye"_

What the hell would Violet promise Charlotte? And what did Addison have to do with it?

xxx

Cooper waited a short amount of time before going into Violets office. He made himself comfy on the sofa then turned to Violet.

"Shrink me" Violet laughed as she got up and joined him. When she was settled next to him, he rested his head on her shoulder and sighed deeply. "I miss her"

"I know"

xxx

Cooper knew it was time to grow up. Hell he'd known it for the past 2 years. But knowing it and doing it were two very different things. But surely admitting to knowing it gave him some credit, right? And he had paid Charlotte back for the buy in on the practice. That was a grown up thing to do.

After he'd seen his last patient he logged onto his computer and opened up all 15 of his online dating accounts. One by one each profile was deleted.

The first, big step to becoming a grown up.

xxx

When Cooper got home that evening he went straight to the fridge and pulled out a beer. After necking half the bottle, he reached for the phone to order take out. He suddenly stopped halfway through dialling the number. _Growing up, remember _he thought to himself.

He put the phone back down then looked through the cupboards. After finding a stray can of soup he thought to himself, _growing up sucks!_

The following morning Cooper arrived early at Ocean Side. He checked over his patient list and then switched his computer on. Whilst waiting for it to load he pulled out his cell and thought about phoning Charlotte. But what right did he have? They weren't together anymore. They weren't even civil to each other let alone friends. Well that wasn't entirely true. She was civil. Well, she was until he provoked her.

"Hey Coop" He looked up and saw Violet in his doorway. "How's it going?"

"Pretty crap. After I left you yesterday, I decided it was time to start acting my age. It's not fun!"

"Cooper, it's not so much that you need to start acting your age, it's more about knowing it. Knowing when to be an adult" Violet said as she walked over and sat opposite him. Cooper looked up and offered a smile.

"I know Vi, It's just...I dunno, I'm feeling down I guess"

"Well how about we grab lunch later and we can talk more? I have a patient waiting"

"I can't, I'm growing up remember. I went to the store last night and re-stocked my kitchen. I made my own lunch!" Violet looked at Cooper in shock.

"Wow, guess you've had a break through, huh?"

Cooper nodded his head. Break through indeed.

xxx

As he was leaving the hospital that evening, Cooper caught sight of Addison and Amelia in Charlotte's office. He had two options. Option 1, stand outside and listen, as the door was open. Or option 2 was to barge in and demand to know everything. He went with the first.

"_My flight leaves in 3 hours. Can you give her a call and let her know my info?" _

"_Already have. She's got you a car sorted at the other end and it's a straight drive up the interstate"_

"_Ok, well I best get going. I'll let you know when I'm flying back. And I'll tell Charlotte you're taking good care of her hospital"_

Seriously, Copper thought to himself, what the _hell _is going on?

xxx

Call or text? Well if Charlotte didn't want to answer him she wouldn't so he went with text, still had the possibility of being ignored. But a text seemed like the safer bet.

_R u ok?_

He waited. No reply. Well, that answers that, he thought; guess it really is over between us. But then could he really expect anything less?

Cooper took himself home and started making dinner. He heard his cell beep and reached over and grabbed it.

_Yes_

That was it. A one word answer. He'd royally fucked this up.

xxx

Every time she spoke to Violet on the phone, she was told how much Cooper missed her. The difficult thing was although she missed him to; she wasn't sure how she'd ever forgive him for the things he'd said.

And to top it off, it wasn't just her she had to think about anymore.

Duke's situation was still the same. Once Amelia had arrived, she'd ordered a repeat on all the tests that had so far been carried out. When Duke's scans came back they stood together trying to find the problem.

It took Amelia all of ten seconds to find it.

"You see this right here?" Amelia asked, pointing to an area of Duke's brain "It's a bleed. One of the rare side effects of propranolol is unusual bleeding. It's never happened in the brain before that I know of, but that's what it looks like"

"How was this not seen?" Charlotte asked.

"It's a slow bleed, but it's been bleeding long enough, I need surgical clearance and an OR booked immediately"

"I'm on it" Charlotte replied as she rushed out the door.

xxx

After gaining clearance for Amelia to operate and getting her the OR, Charlotte then went back to Duke's room to let her mother and Lacey know what was going on. Lacey had refused at first. No doctor apart from Charlotte was allowed near her husband. After much persuasion, she finally agreed and signed all the necessary paper work.

There was nothing left to do then but wait.

TBC

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three - Living on a Prayer

It took Amelia just over three hours to finish Duke's surgery. In that time, Charlotte and her mother had sat and watched Lacey pace the hallways. The thing with Monroe County Hospital was that it was small, unlike St Ambrose and there wasn't a lot to do. None of them could stomach to eat anything and they didn't want to walk around the grounds in case anything happened. Landry had come by earlier to see how things were going. Once he knew that Duke was going down to surgery he took the kids out to try and take their minds off things.

Charlotte looked up and saw Amelia approaching. Once she saw the smile on her face, she let out a sigh of relief.

"I got it. He should be fine. There were no complications, so now it's just a waiting game. He should wake up within the next 48 hours. I'm gonna stay to make sure he does and make sure there are no further complications. But everything went well."

Caroline hugged Amelia, who stood looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Thank you, thank you so much" she said as she let go of the surgeon. "Lacey, he's gonna be ok"

Lacey fell down into the hard plastic chairs and clasped her hands in prayer.

"Thanks Sheppard. I owe you for this" Charlotte said as she shook Amelia's hand. "You need anything, you call"

"Thanks, Charlotte. Duke should be back in his room in about an hour. I'm gonna go, I have my cell if you need anything"

After Amelia left, the King family went back to Dukes room to await his arrival. Things were finally looking up.

xxx

It took Duke just under 36 hours to wake. Amelia completed the post op exam, to make sure everything was working as it should. When her positive results were given, she once again found herself being hugged and not just by Charlottes mother. When Amelia eventually left, after giving them strict instructions not to tire Duke out, Charlotte finally let herself breathe.

It was as she walked towards the bed, that she felt something was wrong. She'd been here almost a week and in that time her emotions had been all over the place. But then, as Duke had been in a coma, that was understandable. But now that he was awake, she still felt high strung. So the question was then, what the hell was wrong with her?

xxx

Charlotte took all of 5 minutes to decide what to do. After making sure the family were all ok, she walked out to the nurses' station and grabbed the first one she saw.

"I need your help, Alaina" Charlotte said after looking at her name tag. "I need your silence, ya hear?"

The nurse nodded her head and then listened as Charlotte explained what she needed. After getting the required items, she watched her walk down the hall to the restrooms.

xxx

Charlotte sat on the closed toilet, cell phone in one hand and pregnancy test in the other. When her phone beeped, Charlotte looked down.

A pink plus sign was staring up at her.

Guess they were gonna have a Marjorie or Walter after all. Well, at least she was. She wasn't so sure about Cooper.

Charlotte left the restrooms and went down to reception. After making an appointment with an OB, she made her way back to her brother's room. Once she let everyone know that she was going, she made her way back to the house.

There were a lot of things that she needed to think about. The first being, if she was gonna go back to LA or stay in Monroeville.

xxx

When she got home she loaded up her laptop to sort out all the un-replied emails she knew would be waiting for her. After spending nearly an hour sorting them out, she logged onto her personal account and found one from Cooper. He had texted her a few times, but she had only given him one word answers. Guess this email is gonna be full of insults, she thought.

_Char,_

_I know something's going on, but no one will tell me anything. I just wanna know that you're alright. And I mean alright, not just chugging along. _

_I miss you. I know I was an ass before you left, but you not being here as given me a lot time to think. I never realized how much I enjoyed seeing you every day, even though we were fighting. I just...Oh I don't know. I just miss you I guess. _

_There is one thing I need to say. I'd much rather talk to you in person than in an email, but beggars and all that. I want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the things I said. I know they hurt you and that's why I said them. But now I wish I hadn't. I want you to know that, I need you to know that. You matter to me Char, and I don't like that you're not here. But that's my fault I guess. _

_So I'll leave you with this. Know that I love you. Know that I miss you. And know that I'm sorry. _

_Cooper x_

How wrong had she been? This was probably one of the nicest things Cooper had ever said to her. It was a grown up apology. Maybe he was ready for her baggage after all.

xxx

Charlotte couldn't explain the reason why she'd never told Cooper about Lee. Her life was completely different back then. She was different. The things she had done, how she'd behaved, the addictions. Lee had put up with an enormous amount before she left. She had wanted to protect Cooper. Not let him see how bad she had been back then. But not all the blame had rested on her shoulders. It could have been possible that she'd pushed Lee to do what he did. With all the shit she had going on; she had to get some rest somewhere. So she'd turned to the pills. To help her sleep at night.

Except the pills were always with her. In her purse, her nightstand, her hand. Lee had said she was neglecting him. That she wasn't behaving like a wife. She'd tried to explain, tried to make him understand that her internship was so _damn _hard and she needed support, not one argument after another. But he didn't get it. He couldn't. So he'd turned to someone else. Someone who could be there for him, who wouldn't neglect him. He'd turned to her best friend.

Which brought her back to Cooper and his email.

Thosewords he'd written. Forher.

Surely he now deserved her full honesty? He'd always wondered why she had been so close to Violet during her pregnancy. How would he react if he knew that she'd done the same things for someone else many years ago? Painted someone's toe nails because they couldn't see their feet over their bulging stomach. What would he say if she told him about Joanne and Lee? About how they'd made her look a fool?

If they were ever gonna make it then she knew what she had to do. _And it was not going to be pretty._

TBC

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	4. Chapter 4

Thank You to everyone who's reviewed so far! It means a lot to me, that you take the time to do so. It also makes me smile and write more!

Some parts of this chapter are not suitable for minors. Please be warned! Thanks and Enjoy

Chapter Four - If Tomorrow Never Comes

When Charlotte awoke the following morning, it was to the joys of approaching motherhood, in other words, she was gonna be sick. After brushing her teeth and rinsing her mouth out, she wondered downstairs. She found a note tacked on the refrigerator from Landry, letting her know that they were down at the hospital.

Charlotte sent him a quick text asking him for an update on Duke. When the reply came back that he was awake and talking, she smiled.

Whilst pouring herself some coffee, she thought about Coopers email again. She felt like she was back in high school having received a love letter from her crush. But it was more than that. Or at least it would be if she replied. However Charlotte wanted to do it different this time. She needed to be sure. Wanted to know that when Cooper learned the full truth about her, that he'd still be there. So she needed to tell him. She just didn't want to.

This was _not _gonna be easy.

xxx

After getting ready, Charlotte went down to the hospital to visit with Duke. It was good to see him sitting up and talking. His words were a little slow, but that was to be expected.

It was good to be back home. Not under these circumstances, but now that Duke was on the mend, it was nice.

After checking her watch, Charlotte realized it was time for her appointment. As she made her way down the hallway she thought about the last time her and Cooper had been together. Physically. It wasn't one of their best moments, but it certainly was memorable. When he'd followed her into the bathroom. Watched while she took off her dress. She had watched him through the mirror. Watched his eyes darken, his jaw clench. She'd asked him if he was gonna stay for the whole show. The next thing she knew she had been hoisted up onto the side and his lips were on hers with his tongue in her mouth. She thought about fighting it. Fighting him. But it had been so long and she'd missed him, missed him touching her. Touching him.

It had been fast and hard. Just like in the beginning of their relationship. But _god _it was so good. The feel of him pressed against her, inside her. Like he was meant to be with her. He was. He was hers. She had to let him know. Every time he pushed inside she had whispered mine, mine, _mine._ She had needed to reclaim him. Let that stupid other woman know he was taken. Because he was. He was hers. Not Jordana Sampson's. Hers damnit.

When she peaked, the love bite she left on his neck would proclaim him as hers. Except it didn't. Cooper had been silent. He'd fixed his clothes and then left. No words, no eye contact. Just gone. And then he really did go. Took off with Violet to go and touch monkeys. But that was ok. They weren't together. He didn't owe her anything.

Maybe their relationship wasn't worth saving after all. But she wanted to. Wanted to save it. Throw it a damn life jacket or something. But it had to be done together. It was with this thought that a plan slowly formed in her mind.

xxx

Cooper hadn't slept. He'd spent most of the night refreshing his email hoping that a reply from Charlotte would be appearing. It hadn't. Around four am he'd eventually given up and laid down to sleep. After tossing and turning for two hours he realized sleep was not gonna happen for him tonight, so he got back up and got ready for work.

When he arrived at the practice he went into his office and booted up his computer. He wanted to be logged in, in case she replied. He hadn't yet thought about what might happen if she didn't.

After checking his patient register for the day, Cooper went and made himself some coffee. He took it straight back to his office and again hit refresh. Still nothing. He needed to be patient.

xxx

At 1 o'clock that afternoon, Cooper breathed a sigh of relief. Those kids got him every time. They always had to talk to him at the same time. And when he would listen to one the others would get louder to be heard. And it would go on and on, whilst their mother stood there and looked on.

He sat down at his computer and hit the button. The one he was convinced didn't work anymore because he'd pushed it so many damn times.

Except this time. This time there was something there. And it was from Charlotte.

_Hi Cooper._

_I know you're probably pissed right now. I know you're wondering why I never replied to your email earlier. I know you've hit that refresh button too many times to count. I know you._

_And that's the problem._

_I know you. But you don't know me. Not really. You know I laugh, I cry, I bitch, like any human being. You know what shampoo I use, what perfume and what conditioner. But do you know my favourite colour? Do you know my favourite sport? Favourite song?_

_No, you don't. And that's not your fault. That's mine. And I know it is Coop. I know that my inability to communicate in a relationship has helped put us where we are now. But it wasn't just me. You hurt me Coop, real bad. The things you said...I never thought you could be so cruel. I wanna believe that you're as sorry as you say you are. But it's gonna take time. And maybe I will forgive you. But I will never forget._

_I need to apologise as well. I know I said things, made you feel things. Inadequate. Less of a man. But you weren't Coop. You were plenty man enough. _

_So here's my plan. You obviously know I'm not in LA, so I'm gonna stay where I am for a while. And we're gonna play a game. I'm giving you a free pass. Or passes should I say. Ask me. Ask me whatever you wanna know. But remember Coop, you wanted this, the whole talking thing. And if you don't like the answers, just remember...that's why I'm not coming home yet._

_Cell reception is crazy here, so email or IM's would be best. I'm out for the rest of the afternoon, so don't panic if I don't reply straight away. Whatever you ask, I will answer. I promise. _

_Ask me Cooper. Just ask._

_Charlotte xxx_

TBC

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	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far! It means a lot to me.

Just to clear something up. Charlotte will tell Cooper, just not yet! It does happen; you just need to be patient. I want the air cleared between them first! So it won't be this chapter or the next!

Also I live in the UK. Private Practice has only aired up to episode 12 so far. So as far as most brits are concerned, Charlotte and Cooper are not together anymore. The fact that _I _do know what happens between them in the season finale isn't the point.

For me, fanfiction is a way for fans to play around with the characters in a situation I want them in. I want Charlotte and Cooper to clear the air and have nothing between them when they get back together, which in this story, they will, eventually. If they got back together straight away, this would be a one-shot! I currently have 3 more chapters of this story written and plan to write more today.

I won't be offended if you don't want to read anymore, that's entirely up to you, and I Thank You sincerely for reading this far! But if you can be patient, I promise, in this story, things will all work out in the end! Natalie xx

Chapter Five – I Miss Missing You

He almost couldn't believe what he was reading. He wanted to call her to make sure it was really her that had sent that. Because there was no way the Charlotte King he knew, would say something like that. But after a while he got it. It was easier. Easier to say things in an email. When you couldn't see the other person. Couldn't see their face. Their eyes.

So what to do? Give her this easy way out? Or make her talk to him, face to face?

Cooper drummed his fingers on the desk. If he emailed her back with questions, she would answer. If he flew down to Alabama, as he knew that was where she was, chances were she wouldn't talk. Well she would talk, she just wouldn't give him the answers he wanted.

But she was wrong. He did know her. He knew the things that mattered. But then there were also things she didn't know about him. But he had to tell her. He just needed to do that in person. Because it would explain some things. His behaviour. His anger.

So, guess he was gonna play email 20 questions then.

xxx

Charlotte couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had dreamed of this moment for so long. Wanted it so bad that at times she couldn't breathe. Thinking it would never happen. But it was. There was a tiny being growing inside her. A mini Charlotte and Cooper mixed together. The thought made her chuckle.

"Well everything appears good. The baby is the right size and weight. I don't know how you went so long without realizing you were pregnant. But everything looks healthy. Congratulations" The doctor said whilst wiping the gel off of Charlotte's stomach.

"I was under so much stress back in LA. I didn't think about periods and things like that. It was taking all my strength to get from one day to the next. Wasn't till I got here, that I noticed something weren't right. I just thought I was stress eating" Charlotte replied with a chuckle. "And thanks."

The doctor handed over a print out of the sonogram. Charlotte looked down at it. This was her baby. Hers and Coopers.

"You're almost into your second trimester, so you need to start eating more. Here's a script for some vitamins. Make sure you take them everyday. I'll see you back here the month after next. We should be able to tell the baby's sex then as well." Charlotte nodded. She wasn't sure where she'd be in a couple of months, but she'd book the appointment anyway.

It all depended on him. She wondered if he'd replied yet. Yeah, he would've done. This was Cooper after all.

xxx

There wasn't a doubt in Charlotte's mind. The baby she was carrying was Cooper's. She knew it was. Although she had slept with Sheldon, she had been so careful. To the point of almost ruining the moment. But Sheldon understood. He knew why she was adamant of always being safe as well as knowing that if Cooper if ever wanted her back she'd go.

It made Charlotte wonder why he'd stuck around as long as he had. The sex was ok, but nothing to write home about. The conversation had always flowed. But there was just something. She knew it would never be more than it was and so did he. Sheldon was a great guy, just for someone else.

So she knew. The day Cooper followed her into Addison's bathroom, on the day of Maya's wedding, they had created this baby.

She stood looking at her reflection in the mirror and wondered how she hadn't noticed before. She had honestly thought that she had just been stress eating. She had taken part in the broken hearted woman's ritual and devoured tubs of ice cream at all hours of the day, eating nothing but crap to try and stop the pain she had been feeling. She'd also drunk enough alcohol to stock a bar. But she'd been assured by the doctor that everything looked ok, so she knew she didn't have to worry about that.

When she thought back, the signs were all there. She'd just been too focused on Cooper to notice. Which brought her back to the emails. Cooper would play her game, just like he'd played all the others with her. She just didn't know an easier way to do this. And it had to happen. He needed to know what she'd been like. The whole ugly truth of it. She just didn't know if he was prepared for it.

With that thought, Charlotte made her way downstairs. She had to be back at the hospital in an hour to meet with Amelia. There were a couple more tests that needed to be done and then Amelia was flying back to LA, with strict instructions to make sure Addison Montgomery wasn't running her hospital into the ground!

xxx

Once Amelia had completed the final exams and given Duke the all clear, Charlotte felt she should let her family know what was going on with her. With all the shit that had being going on, the King's needed to communicate more. And the fact that it had been years since she'd seen her mother coherent enough to hold a full blown conversation, Charlotte knew now was the time to get everything off her chest.

"I'm pregnant." Well, perhaps she should have started with hello. Oh well, too late now!

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Caroline asked as she turned to face her daughter.

"I'm gonna have a baby, momma" Charlotte said as she walked further into the room. As she saw the smile grow on her mothers face, Charlotte felt a weight lift off her chest.

"But I thought you... I mean how?"

"Come now, momma, you know how babies are made" Charlotte replied with a grin. As she heard her brother chuckle she couldn't help but join him.

"Of course I know how, Charlotte. You know that's not what I meant" Caroline said as she looked at her. "I'm talking about what happened with..."

Charlotte interrupted her mother before she could finish. "I know what you're talking about, momma, but it's true, look" Charlotte said as she handed over her sonogram picture. "That's my baby"

xxx

_Char,_

_I wanted to call you. To make sure it was really you who sent that email. Obviously I didn't. Cause I get it. This is easy. Safe. So I'll play. But I need to be honest. I'm doing this to get you back Charlotte. Because you're mine. Just like I'm yours. _

_And for the record. Your favourite colour is yellow. Your favourite sport is Soccer, but you pretend its football. And you don't have a favourite song, as long as it's country, you'll love it. _

_So my questions. I have two for you for this email._

_Why did you push to get the 4__th__ floor office for Pacific Wellcare?_

_What's your favourite flower?_

_I miss you._

_Cooper x_

TBC

Reviews make me smile


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six - Love The Way You Lie

Of all the damn things to ask. It was so totally unexpected that Charlotte couldn't do anything at first. She'd expected questions about her marriage. Not what her favourite damn flower was.

To be fair, she should've seen it coming. It was Cooper after all and doing what was expected just wasn't their thing. But god, he'd done it to her again. Made her heart beat a little faster. Maybe it was the pregnancy making her feel this way. She wasn't normally like this.

_You're mine_

She thought back on when he'd first said that. She had been his. And it'd scared her something fierce. So she'd done the one thing she could think of to try and stop that from happening. Because she had known. Before he'd told her. Or claimed her more like. But yeah she'd known alright.

She was his.

But she couldn't believe that he would ever be hers.

xxx

_Talk about unexpected Cooper!_

_I was waiting for a long list of questions. To find only 2 was a surprise. But a good surprise. So your answers:_

_Pacific Wellcare. I was already hired before they rented the floor. But when you told me about it, it just seemed like the perfect place. Because you were just upstairs. You weren't on the other side of town. You were right above me. And I could see you or speak to you whenever I wanted. Because you were there._

_White Roses. Nothing special I know._

_I have some things I need to tell you. Like what's going on with me now. And I will. I just need more time. But you're right. I am doing this because it's easy. It's easy when you can't see me. When you can't get mad at me. When you can't walk away. Well, I guess you can, but I wouldn't see it. Wouldn't see your back. As nice as it is, I just can't watch you walk away from me anymore. You've done it more times than I can remember. And I wonder if you know how much it hurts. Well I guess you do now._

_I never spoke much about how I was feeling, not because I'm heartless, but because it gives you power. It gives you the power to hurt me. And I couldn't let that happen. Not again. But that's a story for a different time. _

_Next?_

_Charlotte xxx_

xxx

Cooper smiled. Charlotte had never been so honest with him and it made him wonder why he'd never asked her about the 4th floor before. When he found out what she'd done, he'd been so angry. He'd felt used. Cooper had honestly thought she had felt nothing for him. So he'd finished things. And then when they got back together he'd never thought to ask. It just didn't seem that important anymore.

But now, knowing what he did, he wished he had. Knowing that the reason she had provided them with the information because of him was just astounding.

"Why you so smiley?" Violet asked as she walked into his office.

"No reason" He replied as he looked up at her.

"Liar"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Do I even have to dignify that with a response?" Cooper chuckled at Violet's words.

"It's Charlotte. She wants to play 20 questions. Well, I think that's what it is. She said I can ask her anything and she promises to answer honestly"

"And how's that working out?" She asked.

"Good. Better than good, so far. I didn't wanna go straight for the hard angsty stuff. So I kept it fairly light. Asked her some things, like what her favourite flower is and so-"

"You mean to tell me, you were with Charlotte for 2 years and you never sent her flowers?" Violet interrupted.

"Umm...no?"

"Cooper, how could you...do you not get women at all?"

"Hey! We were never like that. We were comfortable with each other. Things like valentines and birthdays, that just wasn't us. We didn't need a reason to treat each other, we just did. Which made it more special" Cooper said as he sat back in his chair.

"See, now that sounds sweet, but the thing is, I've known you for a loooong time and I've known Charlotte a while. You talk about treating each other and I'm guessing we aren't talking flowers, chocolates or cute cuddly toys. Am I right?" The look on his face said it all. "Cooper!"

"She always said I didn't need to!"

"You don't _need _to. It's not about that. It's about sitting there thinking 'I wanna let her know I'm thinking of her'. Not buying her some damn outfit that's pretty much for both of you. Something just for her. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"You're saying I should send her some flowers?" Cooper asked as he looked up shamefaced.

"Give the man a cookie"

xxx

Charlotte did not want to get up. Turns out she didn't have morning sickness. She had all damn day sickness.

But she knew this sometimes happened to those unlucky few expectant mothers. She pulled the blankets further up her body and then tried to keep as still as possible. If she didn't move, then the nausea was manageable. Until the urge to pee hit. She bolted upright and ran for the bathroom.

She made it just in time.

Caroline had just come out of her room when she heard the bathroom door slam and then the sounds of retching.

"Babydoll, you ok in there?" She asked when the retching had stopped.

"No momma, I think my stomach just turned inside out" Caroline pushed open the door and hesitantly peered inside. She saw Charlotte sitting on the floor clutching the toilet.

"Let me get you some ginger ale, it'll help with the nausea" Caroline turned and went to go down to the kitchen but there was no need as Landry was standing behind her holding out a glass filled with the desired beverage. She nodded her thanks and then watched her son walk back downstairs. Caroline went fully into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. "Sip some of this" She said as she held out the glass.

Charlotte tried to smile her thanks, but it came over as more of a grimace. She sipped the drink slowly and then rested her head against the wall.

"Can I get you anything else?" Her mother asked.

"Cooper"

xxx

_Charlotte,_

_I don't know what else to ask. Well, I do, but I don't. Make sense? No it doesn't to me either. There are so many things going through my mind and I just...I wanna know it all. Everything. From when you were a kid to now. _

_But most importantly, I wanna know when I can see you. I can't stand it anymore. When I ended things with you, it was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I was stupid and I can't be stupid anymore. So please, come home. Or I can come to you. _

_Please?_

_Cooper x_

TBC

Reviews make me smile

AN 2 I know some of you want Charlotte to tell Cooper now, but it's not gonna happen. I'm half way through writing chapter 9 which, I think, should be the big reveal, well it looks that way so far. I'm aiming for this to be finished in 10 chapters with an epilogue, so fingers crossed! I'm away as of tomorrow, so it might be had to update, but I'll try my best!

Thanks for taking the time to read!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N Some people may find this chapter to be Angsty. But, remember, things will work out in the end! I promise (for the story anyway and I hope for the show as well!)

Also I'm sorry it's taken me so long to upload this chapter, but my internet wouldn't let me access so I had to wait till I got back. Hope those of you that are still reading, enjoy!

Chapter Seven I Just Want You To Know Who I Am

The sound of knocking roused her from slumber. Charlotte had been sick most of the week and didn't appear to be getting better. Her pulse rate and blood pressure were higher than they should be and the nausea was constant.

Was she now gonna have to fly Addison out here? Or was it best to just go home?

Charlotte called for who ever it was to enter and watched as the door opened. What she saw first was the large bouquet of flowers her mother was holding. Well it was hard to miss.

"These just arrived for you Babydoll" Caroline said as she entered the bedroom.

"Is there a card?" Caroline nodded and handed the small white envelope to her daughter.

_To let you know I'm thinking of you,_

_Cooper xxx_

He'd sent her flowers. But Cooper didn't do things like that. He brought her crutchless panties in every colour, silk and leather teddies. He did not send flowers.

The signs were there. Cooper wanted this, wanted her. The saying that actions speak louder than words had never been truer.

Let's hope it was still the same when Charlotte told him everything. She picked up her laptop and began to type.

xxx

_I got the flowers. They were beautiful, thank you._

_Ok, Cooper. This is it. I'm confessing or whatever you wanna call it. I hope your sitting down, because this is not gonna be pretty. It's gonna be long and maybe a little boring at times. If you're at work, I suggest you wait till you get home to read this._

_You want to know everything about me? Welcome to Charlotte King's Life Story!_

_I had a good childhood. I was spoilt by my parents and teased by my brothers, like any child with siblings. But it was all in jest. My parents didn't like to show affection to us kids, they thought it was a sign of weakness. The only way they showed it was by using pet names for us and buying us anything we wanted or they were drunk. But that was ok, we didn't know anything different. _

_I knew I wanted to be a doctor when I was 7. Landry had a ruptured appendix when he was 11 and he passed out from the pain he was in. I saw him fall and felt helpless. I screamed for Big Daddy and went with them to the hospital. That was when I knew. I didn't wanna be in that situation again, feeling like I did and not knowing what to do._

_So I went to college, then on to John's Hopkins and finished top of the class, two years early. To say I studied is an understatement. I worked my ass off. I wanted to be the best. And I am. But that all came with a price._

_I did my internship at a hospital in New York. On my first day I met Joanne. She waited tables at a restaurant a few blocks down. Someone had knocked over a drink and she'd slipped and wound up in the ER. Anyways, we hit it off. I was alone in the big apple and she was the only person I'd exchanged names with. I ended up renting her spare room. We were friends. Best friends. _

_All my spare time was spent with her. We did everything together. And one night when we were out at a club, I met Lee. He was my first serious boyfriend. And 6 months later I moved in with him. And four months after that we were married. It was a small wedding. Nothing fancy. Big Daddy wanted us to get married back in Alabama, but I just couldn't get the time off. Big Daddy told me he wouldn't come, neither would he pay for it. But that was ok. I had Lee and I had my best friend._

_So it was simple. A small affair. Myself, Lee and Joanne with her boyfriend at the time, down at City Hall. That was it. We decided that we'd have our honeymoon once I'd finished my internship. _

_That first year our marriage was perfect. It was like a fairytale. I mean it was hard, with me working long hours, but Lee understood. Or at least I thought he did. Then he started with the baby talk. Lee had never mentioned kids before so it came as a shock to me especially as I had no time. I was working so hard and the thought of bringing a baby into our lives when I was working 48 hour shifts at a time, just seemed wrong. And then the more I thought of it, the more I realised I wouldn't be a good mother. Not yet. I wasn't ready. _

_I was approaching my final year. Studying like mad for my exam and working the rest of the time. I hardly saw Lee and I certainly had no time for friends. I wanted to, but there just weren't enough hours in the day._

_But the stress of it all. I just couldn't stand it. When I was at home, I couldn't sleep and when I was working I wanted to. So I got some help. Sleeping pills. Except it got bad, real bad. I couldn't do anything without taking them. I was an addict. Everywhere I went, the pills went too. And I was so horrible, to everyone, and I mean horrible, not bitchy like I am now._

_Then Joanne got pregnant. I was so happy for her. I tried to make more time for her. To support her. I got myself some help. Went and saw a therapist and stopped taking the pills. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. But I had to do it. I had to be there for Joanne because she only had me. So I had to be strong._

_She told me it was a drunken one night stand and that she had no way of tracking the guy down. So I said I'd be there. I made her move in with us. So that someone would be there for her. When I was home we'd sit and eat ice cream and talk about boys and paint our nails. And when she got bigger I'd do her toes. Just like with Violet._

_One night I'd been at the hospital for 48 hours and I couldn't wait to go home and crawl into bed with Lee. I was exhausted. Except when I got home, Lee was already in bed, with Joanne._

_Turns out, they'd been having an affair for most of the year and she was carrying his baby._

_Lee and I had been arguing a lot, about my working long hours and how he thought I was neglecting him, so I knew things weren't great between us, but for him to do this. To not only sleep with my best friend but to knock her up as well. It was the final straw. _

_They both tried to explain. They kept tracking me down and wanting to talk. But I couldn't. I couldn't stand there and listen to them making their shitty excuses. So I left. I waited until I'd passed my exams and then I was on the first flight out of New York. I didn't care where it was going. I just had to leave. _

_That's how I got to California._

_I did my residency at a small hospital in Modesto. Again I worked and worked, with no thought for anything else. Work was my life. And it was how I wanted it. I worked so hard I had no time to think about them and what they'd done. And on the rare occasion I did, I vowed I would never be in that situation again. _

_Big Daddy did as much of the divorce proceedings as he could and so I promised him that if I ever got married again, I'd do it back home and he'd be there with me. Except that's not possible now is it?_

_So I finished up at Modesto and decided I wanted something more. I applied at hospitals all over LA and was accepted at all of them. Told ya I was the best. I went to turn down St Ambrose, but then they offered me Chief of Staff and I knew I couldn't say no. _

_Not long before we started seeing each other, Joanne found me again. Told me she had a daughter and that she wasn't with Lee. I told I her I didn't wanna know. I wanted nothing to do with either of them and would she please stop contacting me. That was the last time I heard from her._

_I'm not heartless. I built walls to protect myself. Because I couldn't go through that again._

_I didn't want a relationship, Coop, because look what's happened to us. But when the shit hit, I thought you were worth it. Whatever punishment you were gonna hand me, I felt I deserved. Except you didn't. You just ended it. _

_And there I was again. _

_So there you have it. I'm a drug addict. I'm a runner. I'm not the long haul woman. But I wanted to be, for you. _

_The reason I didn't tell you any of this before, _was_ because I didn't wanna go back there. I was weak. But I'm not anymore. Well, I wasn't until you._

_So you have the power. You always have. Use this for whatever you want. Don't be scared to crush my heart because it's already broken._

_But if this is goodbye, then all I ask is that you tell me. Don't ignore me. You owe me that much._

_Charlotte x_

TBC

Reviews make me smile

A/N 2 Some of you may think that what happened to Charlotte isn't as bad as she's made it sound. There had to be a reason why she never wanted a relationship or friendships and this is what I went with. Can I just say that this is a story, not a script. It's what I think could've happened to Charlotte. Thanks for reading and please review! I welcome constructive criticism! Oh and chapter eight should be up tomorrow, I hope!


	8. Chapter 8

AN Thanks to those of you that reviewed the last chapter as promised here's the next one!

Chapter Eight – Consider Me Gone

3 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours and 45 minutes. That's how long Charlotte had been waiting for a reply.

_Guess I got my answer. Well baby, it's just you and me, so we're gonna move again. Find somewhere for just us. We can start over. Who needs men anyway right?_

xxx

Charlotte was now into her second trimester. The sickness and nausea had eventually worn off and her BP had returned to normal.

However her heart was still broken.

She'd read her email over and over again. It told him everything. She had no more secrets. Ok, she had one more. But she hadn't done it intentionally. She wanted to tell him. Wanted him to be a part of their baby's life. He'd be a good father. She just didn't know how to tell him. She should have done it when she first found out, but there was something holding her back. She just didn't know what.

You could now tell that she was pregnant. She had a small bump that she would hold and rub whenever her hands were free and she couldn't wait for her next sonogram to find out the sex of the baby.

Once Duke had been released from the hospital, Charlotte had started making plans for her maternity leave. Sorting out the hospital had been easy. Since she'd started there, she hadn't taken any sick days or vacation days and with the admin work that she could do on her computer, that was all fine.

She'd waited to make any decisions about Oceanside. It all depended on Cooper and what he had to say. But now that it had been over 3 weeks, Charlotte was convinced it was well and truly over between them.

xxx

"Are you sure this is what you wanna do?"

"I'm sure. I've arranged everything. My bags are all packed and I have all my documents. I've spoken to everyone that I needed to. All my patients have been temporarily referred on. There's nothing else to...oh shit!" Cooper's eyes widened as he looked over at his best friend.

"What Cooper?"

"I never replied"

"You mean you...Cooper; you've left her hanging all this time?" Violet asked as Cooper paced past her.

"Shit shit SHIT! What am I gonna do? Oh crap!"

"Maybe you should give her a call?" Violet said as she sat down on the couch. "Damnit Cooper, where is your head at?"

"I dunno...I just...between booking flights and speaking to the hotels, transferring patients and sorting my apartment out, it never entered my mind! Shit! I can't call her, it'll ruin everything. What am I gonna do?"

xxx

Charlotte had given up waiting. It was clear by his silence that Cooper obviously thought there wasn't a chance for them anymore.

But she needed to tell him about the baby.

Maybe she should call him?

She didn't want to, but he deserved to know. About his son.

She picked up her cell and pushed the buttons to call Cooper. It went straight to voicemail.

Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't have to do it today.

xxx

Cooper was beyond exhausted, if there was such a thing. After he'd finished talking with Violet he'd taken a cab straight to the airport. He'd then waited nearly four hours for his delayed flight. When he was finally able to board the plane, he'd planned to sleep for a while. The turbulence put a stop to that.

So when he eventually touched down in Alabama he was not a happy camper. After picking up his rental car he drove to the nearest hotel. He was in no condition for the long drive to Monroeville.

Once he was checked in and in his room, Cooper called room service then grabbed a quick shower.

As he was eating he thought about maybe calling Charlotte. But as he was already in Alabama he supposed he might as well wait until tomorrow, when he could finally see her, face to face.

He just about made it through his meal before he collapsed in an exhausted pile on the bed.

xxx

Cooper awoke the following morning in a very good mood. He was finally getting his life back. He was going to reclaim the woman he loved and bring her home.

When he found out from Violet why Charlotte was living with her, to say he was shocked was an understatement. So he proved he was in it for the long haul too. He'd sold his apartment and stored all his stuff at Sam's until he could convince Charlotte for them to get a place that was theirs. Again.

But he wanted it different this time. He needed to be honest with her and tell her about Andy. He needed to tell her why he was so mad after she'd told him about being married. She had been so open with him in those emails and it was only fair he did the same.

Cooper got up and headed to the bathroom. After using the shower and brushing his teeth, he packed up his stuff and left the hotel.

_Monroeville, here I come _he thought to himself.

xxx

When he eventually pulled up outside Charlotte's parent's house he breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like he'd been for driving weeks, not the six hours it actually was. He walked up to the front door and knocked. After getting no response he debated about calling Charlotte's cell.

The sound of crunching gravel caused him to turn around. He watched as one of Charlotte's brother's got out of the car.

"Can I help you?"

"Hi, I don't know if you remember me, I'm Cooper, Charlotte's boyfriend...ex boyfriend"

"Yeah I remember you. Again I ask, can I help you?" Landry said as he walked up the steps.

"I'm looking for Charlotte" Cooper replied.

"I think you better come in"

A sense of foreboding washed over Cooper and with a heavy heart he entered the King household.

xxx

"So...um...where is Charlotte?" Cooper asked as he took a seat on the sofa.

"She got tired of waiting" Landry said as he handed Cooper a glass of water.

"Waiting for what?" He had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"You, I believe"

"Shit! So where is she?"

"She's gone." Landry said with as much sympathy as he could muster. "She left town yesterday"

TBC

Reviews make me smile

A/N Don't panic and please don't kill me! Things aren't as bad they seem!


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Thank you so, so much to The Mind's Eye for being an amazing beta! Your help, ideas and everything else was very much appreciated!

Beware – Cliff-hanger!

Chapter Nine If You See Her

Violet was engrossed in one of Jane Austen's lesser known works when she heard banging out in the hallway of her house. Closing her book and placing it on the nightstand, she tiptoed over to the door to investigate.

She could hear drawers opening and closing in the guest room. Shit, she was being robbed. And her sledgehammer was downstairs in the umbrella stand. She thought about hiding in the closet but something stopped her. Was that crying she heard?

As quietly as she could, Violet opened the door and walked silently down to the room. She peered inside and the sight that greeted her made her gasp.

The pitiful-looking blonde heard the sound and raised her head up. Once she saw Violet standing in her doorway and realized her breakdown had an audience, she furiously brushed her tears away.

It was too late, though .Violet had already seen them. "Charlotte, what are you doing here?" Violet asked as she stepped further into the room.

"My stuff is still here," the blonde replied matter-of-fact.

"No, that's not what I- I mean, why aren't you with Cooper?"

Charlotte grimaced. "That's cruel, Violet, even for you."

Violet felt a sinking in her stomach and pressed her, "Charlotte, where's Cooper?""How the hell am I supposed to know?" she demanded, adding, "What's wrong with you?"

"Charlotte," Violet began softly, sympathetically - like she was breaking bad news to a patient's family. "Cooper went to Alabama yesterday."

That got Charlotte's attention. She stood up and faced Violet full-on. When she saw the brunette's eyes widen, she wondered if she looked a fright from travelling all day. But then, she saw Violet staring at her burgeoning belly and realized why she'd caught her friend off-guard. Charlotte offered a weak, conciliatory smile.

"I tried to call him last night but it went straight to voicemail and I just couldn't bring myself to tell him on an answering machine. And then I thought it would be better to talk to him face-to-face, so I caught the first flight out this morning."

Violet was stunned. "So, he doesn't know?"

Charlotte arched an eyebrow and stated the simple truth. "If he did, he would have told you."

"True," Violet admitted, then groaned, "God, what a mess. I wanna bang your heads together!"

Charlotte was so exhausted from the cross-country plane ride. All she wanted to do was to crawl into her bed and sleep for a month. Violet must've plainly saw her fatigue because she offered, "I'll call Cooper and explain what's happened – the mix up, and see if we can get it straightened out."

Charlotte gave a weak smile. "Thanks." Her eyes twinkled and she added, "And thanks for the flowers. They were beautiful."

Violet laughed. Nothing got past Charlotte King.

xxx

After talking for nearly an hour, Violet left Charlotte to get some much needed rest. For being only four and a half months pregnant, the blonde was already showing quite a bit. Violet couldn't help but ask half-joking if there was only one in there, which, after enough pestering had prompted Charlotte to get the sonogram pictures out as hard proof.

Once Violet was back in her room, she picked up her cell phone and dialed Cooper's number. He answered on the third ring.

"Hey, Vi," he greeted her, sounding lackluster.

"How are you doing, Coop?"

"Terrible." He explained, "She's gone. Her brother told me she left town right before I got here and to make it worse, no one knows where she went." Cooper keened, "What am I going to do?"

Violet smiled into the phone and told him, "Come home, Coop."

"I can't. I have to find her."

"I already found her."

"What?" he demanded. "Where is she?"

"Oh, just about 30 feet away – give or take a few inches."

"I don't understand. You mean she's-"

Violet interrupted him and put him out of his misery. "She's down the hall, asleep in her room."Cooper didn't hesitate. "I'm on my way."

"Wait. Cooper." She rubbed her temple and confessed, "When you get here, you and Charlotte are going to need to talk, but you need to remain calm. You have to listen to her and not get angry, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," he said dismissively.

"No, Cooper. This is serious. You have to promise me or else I won't let you past the foyer."

"You're starting to scare me, Vi. Is Charlotte okay?"

"She will be as long you don't start fighting again," she replied cryptically.

Cooper took his friend at her word. "Okay, I promise."

Once Violet hung up the phone, she got back into bed and picked up her book. She couldn't help but think that those two were made for each other in a messed up, twisted kind of way. She just hopped they could make it work!

xxx

Mix ups like this didn't happen in real life. They happened in movies and primetime dramas. But it had happened to them. Cooper had flown to Alabama to be with Charlotte while she'd flown to LA to be with him.

He kept replaying his conversation with Violet over and over in his head. He wondered and worried about Charlotte. She had mentioned in her emails that there was something going on with her, but she'd said she would tell him later and he'd accepted that. He'd wanted to show her that he was giving her the time to come around on her own terms.

Guess she'd had enough time! But it still didn't explain Violet's caution. Fighting was their thing. For them it was like a sign of affection. It meant they were invested in the relationship. When they weren't fighting, that's when Cooper worried the most. It usually meant that something was about to blow up in his face.

When his plane finally landed in Los Angeles, he felt wired. The five in-flight cups of coffee probably hadn't helped any, but he'd needed them to fight off his jetlag.

After collecting his bags and jumping in the first available cab, Cooper thought about maybe going home to change and clean himself up. But the idea of seeing Charlotte after nearly five months was much more appealing, and it won by a landslide.

xxx

When the cab pulled up in front of Violet's house, Cooper almost felt like he had butterflies. That was the only way he could think to describe the nervous, excited feeling in the pit of his stomach. After checking his watch, he saw that it was a little after midnight. Knowing his women like he did, he knew that Charlotte would be sleeping, but Violet would still be wide awake. He pulled out his cell and sent her a quick text to let her know he was outside. A minute later he saw the hall light go on and then heard the unlocking of all seven deadbolts Violet had had fitted after the Katie incident.

"She's still here, right?" he demanded right off the bat.

"Hello to you, too, Cooper. Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Violet replied sarcastically as she opened the door wide enough for him to step inside.

"Vi..." he pressed.

"She's in her room asleep. But I meant what I said on the phone, Coop. No fighting."

"Is she sick?" he asked as he put his bags down at the foot of the stairs.

"No, she's not sick. She's just...well, you'll see. It's not my place to tell you."

Cooper was confused by that vague and cryptic answer but nodded anyway, and made his way upstairs towards the guest bedroom.

"It's late," Violet yelled out after him. "Where are you going?"

"To get my woman."

xxx

Cooper quietly pushed open the door to Charlotte's room. She'd left the curtains open, so the room was bathed in moonlight. He gently closed the door behind him and made his way over to the empty side of the bed. He thought about pulling up a chair and sleeping in it, but decided that th other side of the bed looked far comfier. He stripped off his clothes and climbed right in behind her.

Cooper wanted to hold her, to touch her in some small way. He needed to make sure that this was real. He closed the distance between them but stopped suddenly when he felt Charlotte shift. It was as if she knew instantly that he was there.

He laid as still as he could while she settled herself over him; her head resting on his chest and one of her legs settled in-between his. He wrapped his arm around her and buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair. God, he'd missed everything about her – even the scent of her hair.

And with a smile on his face, Cooper fell asleep with the woman he loved in his arms.

xxx

She wasn't alone.

Charlotte was pretty sure she'd gone to bed last night alone. And now she wasn't. When she'd first roused, she'd been scared to open her eyes. But after breathing in the scent of the body lying beneath her, she knew who was in her bed.

It made her wish that their baby wasn't tap-dancing on her bladder. She slowly edged herself off of the warm body beneath her but still, her slight movement made him tighten his arms around her.

"Where you going?" he mumbled sleepily.

"I have to pee, but I'll be right back."

Cooper pressed a kiss to her temple and then reluctantly withdrew his arms. He watched through half-lidded eyes as she got up and waddled towards the bathroom door. When she turned to close it behind her, Cooper was instantly awake. He could've sworn that she looked...No. That wasn't possible.

Or was it?

xxx

Charlotte closed the bathroom door knowing full-well that Cooper had probably gotten a good look at her sizable bump.

_Come on ,Charlotte. You can do this, she told herself. This is Cooper, the love of your life. And even if things get nasty, there's nothing he could say to you that would hurt more than the things he's already said. So stop stalling and get out there. Now – or, rather, two minutes from now. _

_Charlotte needed to pee to relieve some of the pressure on her bladder. She didn't know why but their little King-Freedman sure was an acrobat, kicking up a storm first thing in the morning. _

After she'd finished her business, Charlotte took in a deep breath and slowly pushed open the bathroom door. Cooper appeared to have gone back to sleep. _Well that was easy, _she thought to herself. And bonus, it meant that she got more snuggles before the inevitable fallout, not that she'd ever admit to wanting snuggles, of course.

Charlotte climbed into the bed and draped herself back over Cooper. She was just beginning to fall back asleep when she felt his arms lock into place around her shoulders.

His voice was rough with sleep but he was very much awake when he asked, "Is there something you need to tell me, Charlotte?"

TBC

Reviews make me smile!

AN 2: I know you all probably wanted Charlotte's big confession in this chapter – Sorry! But this was the right place to end it. But I said Cooper would find out in this chapter and he did! Look out for chapter 10 soon! I'm now off work for 3 days, so lots of time to write!


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks to The Mind's Eye for making this chapter amazing! Your help, idea's and grammar correction was very much appreciated!

Chapter Ten To Make You Feel My Love

Once the bathroom door had been firmly shut, Cooper felt anger burn through his veins and he clenched his fists in response. He couldn't believe that Charlotte had kept another secret from him. She'd spent the last five months hiding behind a computer screen playing games with him, probably knowing full-well that she was carrying his child, and she hadn't said a single word.

It was cruel. It was inexcusable. It was...a blessing.

Cooper felt his initial outburst of anger slowly leave his body and it was replaced with sheer joy. He was going to be a father.

When he heard Charlotte's footsteps coming back into the room, he knew that she would expect him to go straight for the kill, so he feigned sleep.

She was watching him. He could feel her eyes burning little holes into his body. The temptation to look at her was strong, but he resisted. He had to play this right.

When he felt her slip into bed beside him and cuddle up to his side, he couldn't help the grin that played out across his face. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and when they were both settled, he locked his arms in place.

"Is there something you need to tell me, Charlotte?"

He felt her whole body tense and he knew he had her attention. It was difficult but he kept his tone gentle and understanding like he'd promised Violet he would, but he knew she'd been right. He needed to stay calm. He couldn't risk pushing Charlotte further away from him.

True, she'd kept this secret for nearly five months, but she had come back to tell him in person. That had to mean something. Maybe they were ready to be a happy couple again or maybe, hopefully, a happy family. Cooper skimmed his hands across her arms while he waited for her reply.

"Oh, Cooper," Charlotte sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you sooner. I wanted you to be there with me, but I was scared. I needed to make sure you wanted me for me, not just because I'm carrying our child. And I know I've been selfish. I keep telling you what I want and need from this relationship, but I've never asked you what you need, and I just-"

The only way to stop a Charlotte King tirade was with his lips. Her lips parted instantly and her tongue met his. It had been so long. Her hands fisted in his hair and pulled him closer while Cooper trailed his hands down the sides of her nightgown. He slowly pushed it up until he could slip his hands underneath and place both hands palm-down on her swollen abdomen.

"Is this mine?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yes," She moaned. "I'm yours."

"No, Char. I meant the baby."

Her eyes widened when his words registered.

"How can you even...Get off me," she demanded, shoving him away "How dare you!"

"It's a perfectly valid question, Charlotte. I know you were screwing around with Sheldon."

"Cooper," she began angrily. "How many times did we sleep together before we broke up, using only the pill as protection? And you _know_ it isn't a hundred percent effective, so go ahead. Ask me again if this baby isn't yours. I dare you."

The fire in her eyes; that was the first thing Cooper had fallen in love with. Her eyes. They were so expressive and he could tell her moods just by glancing at them. So he'd known even before he'd asked that she was carrying his baby. He just wanted to make sure the fire still burned. He wanted to make sure the pregnancy hadn't softened her too much. But it hadn't; she was still his Charlotte.

That realization made him smile.

"Oh, you sneaky bastard," she accused.

"And that's why you love me," he boasted.

Charlotte's face softened into a smile. She did love him and it was about time he knew that.

"I told you in my emails that now you know everything about me, but that's not entirely true. There are still a couple more things that you need to know – aside from me being pregnant, that is, but it seemed unfair to tell you in an email...So, here I am."

Cooper played with her hair while her fingers drew lazy patterns over his chest. He wanted to hear everything, but he wasn't going to push her. He decided to start slow and asked, "How's your brother doing?"

"He's doing a lot better; thanks for asking. He's back at home with his wife, Lacey, who's taking real good care of him," Charlotte responded, asking, "Did Violet tell you?"

"Yeah. She didn't want to betray your confidence, but when I was making arrangements to fly out, she figured I needed to know what I was walking into."

Charlotte cuddled in closer to Cooper. After going five whole months without him, she was feeling a little needy and thanks to those pesky pregnancy hormones, horny as hell. Unfortunately for her, they still had a lot of crap to work through before she could jump his bones.

"Did you find out the sex?" Cooper asked as he placed his hand over Charlotte's stomach.

"Are you sure you wanna know?" When Cooper nodded, Charlotte eased herself over and retrieved her sonogram pictures from inside her purse. She handed them to Cooper and remarked, smiling, "See his little junk – right there. Can you see it?"

Cooper smiled. He was going to have a son.

"It's all well and good to show me these scans but you know that as soon as we get up, we're going straight to the practice for another sonogram, right?"

Charlotte laughed in response. "Yeah, I kinda figured you'd say that."

They laid there in silence for a while, both gazing at the picture. Charlotte glanced up and saw that Cooper had a ridiculously happy grin on his face. With his free hand he was tracing gentle, soothing circles on her raised stomach.

"We have so much to talk about," she remarked.

"I know. You've been so open with me and now I have something I need to tell you." When he felt Charlotte tense up, he quickly added, "It's not bad, Char. I just need to explain myself."

"I'm listening."

Taking a deep breath, he just came out with it before he lost his nerve completely. "My parents had another kid before they adopted me. His name was Andy – Andrew, actually, and he was their son for eight years. But then, he got really sick and died." Cooper heard Charlotte's audible gasp. "Anyway," he said, wanting to move on and get to the point. "They never told me about him. I had to find out by accident and I took it really hard. I felt like a replacement, because I knew there had to be a reason they never told me about him – like, maybe, they loved him more than me." Cooper bit the inside of his cheek to keep his emotions in check. "And so, when you told me you'd been married, all those feelings just came rushing back. I felt like a replacement again."

"Oh, Coop," Charlotte sighed. "You were never a replacement. You were real."

Cooper couldn't believe how good it felt to hear that. He pressed his lips to hers in lieu of a response and it spoke volumes. She enjoyed the passionate kiss but pulled back before it could lead too far.

"I'm glad you told me about your brother. And I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I feel better now that you know about Lee. I know that telling you in an email was the cowards way out, but I think- No, I know it was the only way I could do it," Charlotte admitted, pressing a kiss against his chest. "Being away from you for so long really made me realize how much I want you in my life and in our baby's life, and how much I..."

"How much you what?" he prompted, whispering.

Charlotte smiled. "How much I love you."

The End!

Epilogue to follow! Thanks to everyone who's read this and an extra big thanks to those of you who reviewed!


	11. Chapter 11

Epilogue Say My Name

"Connor?"

"No."

"Cameron?"

"No."

"Callum?"

"No!" she answered. "And what's with all the 'C' names? That's one big book you got there and you're only reading from one section."

"I just thought that since our names begin with a C, it would be nice if the baby's name matched. Don't you think?" He tightened his arm around her and then continued looking through the list of names he'd highlighted.

"How about C.J.?"

"Cooper Junior? Really?" The sarcastic tone to her voice was not lost on him.

"I'll take that as a no," he mumbled in response.

"You do that," she said as she moved more firmly against his side. Well, only as close as she could get with her rounded stomach between them. Suddenly, she remembered their appointment and said, "We need to get moving or else, we're gonna be late." Charlotte grinned. "Did you happen to tell anyone who the appointment was for?"

"Nope. They have no clue." He added, "Violet was sworn to secrecy and Addison hasn't seen the chart yet." Cooper's attention drifted back to the baby book and he brightened. "Oh, I've got it!"

"Got what?"

"The perfect name." Cooper paused to appreciate the moment. "It's so perfect, so... _us_."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Damnit, Cooper, just spit it out."

"The name means 'Battle'," he teased her, drawing out the anticipation.

When Charlotte heard that, she looked over at him and smirked. "What's the name?"

"Caiden."

Xxx

Cooper and Charlotte made their out of the elevator and into the Oceanside lobby. It was still early so there were no patients around; the whole reason Charlotte wanted her appointment at such an ungodly hour.

They walked to Addison's office together but Cooper stepped to the front and knocked twice on the glass door. After being called inside, he opened the door and smiled at the redhead sitting behind the desk. "Morning, Addison," he greeted.

"Hey." Addison checked her watch and stood up. "Is the patient here yet?"

"Oh, she's..." Cooper turned and saw that Charlotte wasn't behind him anymore. "...hiding in the hall," he realized, turning on his heel and barking, "Damnit, Charlotte! Get in here, woman!"

Charlotte waddled up beside him. She scowled and demanded, "What'd I tell you about talking to me like that?" She heard Addison gasp so she turned to the other woman, perturbed, and told her, "Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm pregnant. Big whoop," she snarled. "Let's just get this over with."

Addison was still in shock and stuttered, "What the- I don't- How- I mean..." She did a double-take and remarked, stunned, "You're pregnant."

"Give the double-board certified neonatal surgeon a prize," Charlotte drawled. Rolling her eyes, she turned on her heel and started walking toward Exam Room 3. "Now, move it!" she called over her shoulder. "I don't have all day!"

Cooper gave Addison a minute to absorb the news before they followed Charlotte into the exam room. They found her already perched on the table waiting for them, her shirt raised to bare her belly.

Addison wheeled over the ultrasound and got out all the necessary items needed. She placed paper towels over the edges of Charlotte's clothing to avoid them getting covered in gel. While waiting for the machine to come to life, she picked up Charlotte's chart and asked, "How far along you?"

"Almost five months," the blonde replied. Charlotte looked over at Cooper and couldn't help but smile when she saw the excited look on his face.

"Do you know the date of conception?" Addison questioned, scribbling some notes into the file.

"Umm, yeah," Charlotte hedged, "The day of Maya's wedding."

Addison looked up when she heard the hesitancy in the blonde's voice.

"Why'd you say it like that?" She looked back and forth between the pair and her suspicion was aroused by their guilty expressions. "What aren't you two telling me?"

"Nothing," Cooper replied quickly – a little too quickly.

"Oh, for the love of," Charlotte sighed, "Our baby was conceived on your bathroom counter! Now, can we do the damn sonogram already?" Charlotte huffed as she turned her head to face the machine.

"Oh, gross. That's just...eww." Addison shuddered. "Seriously – I mean, _seriously_?" When Cooper reluctantly nodded, she shuddered again and planned to buy some industrial-strength bleach on the way home for her countertops.

Xxx

"I cannot believe you told her," Cooper exclaimed as they walked into his office.

"It's not my fault. This pregnancy is making me too damned honest. I haven't shared this much of myself since I was in therapy!" Charlotte exclaimed. She took a seat on the sofa and looked at the sonogram pictures she was holding.

Cooper's eyes had lit up like a kid in a candy store when he'd heard their baby's heartbeat for the very first time. And when Addison had confirmed that yes, the baby was a boy, Cooper had pumped his fist into the air like he'd won the lottery. It was definitely a guy thing.

Charlotte looked up when she heard him lock his door. "What're you doing?"

"I thought we could celebrate," he answered slyly, walking toward her.

"Uh huh, I'm sure you did," she chuckled.

Cooper pouted. "C'mon, Char! It's been three whole hours."

"Three whole hours?" she echoed, her eyes widening in mock sympathy. "You poor thing."

"I know," he sniffed.

Charlotte lowered her lashes and suggestively told him, "Well, then, you better get over here and rectify that, Dr. Freedman."

Xxx

"Have you seen Cooper?" Violet asked as she walked over to the reception desk.

Addison looked up from her chart. "I saw him about half hour ago heading into his office."

"Thanks!" Violet replied as she made her way over. She approached the door, noticing that the blinds were closed and yep, sure enough, the door was locked. Violet moved closer and pressed her ear to the door. The sounds she heard made her jump back.

"Hey, you two!" she shouted, banging on the door. "I had to listen to that all night! I don't wanna listen to it here, too!"

Violet rolled her eyes when she heard hushed whispers and laughing in response. That response was par for the course with those horny teenagers so she just made her way into her office unfazed and started sifting through her day's work. Suddenly, she heard her phone alarm and realized she had a new text message.

Pulling out her phone, Violet read: Char and I are gonna crash at your house until we buy a place, so I'd invest in a set of earplugs if I were you. Just sayin'.

The End.

Well sort of. Look out for a one shot based in this timeline. Coming Soon!

Please Review!

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed the previous chapters! And last but not least, THANK YOU, to The Mind's Eye for being a fab beta! You've made these last few chapters awesome!


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